Slain former Memphis Grizzlies player remembered on birthday

Former NBA and Memphis Tiger player Lorenzen Wright remembered by family, friends and fans

Lorenzen Wright’s aunt, Pat Vassar (left), cries at his gravesite while his mother, Deborah Marion (center), talks with other family and cousin Jason Henderson adjusts a photo.

The Commercial Appeal

A group of family members and friends gathered at the grave of former Memphis Tiger basketball and NBA player Lorenzen Wright to celebrate his birthday Sunday.

Wright, who was found dead July 28, 2010, was a former Memphis Grizzlies player who had retired from the league in 2009 after a hand injury.

Wright's body was found in a field in Southeast Memphis near Winchester and Hacks Cross with multiple gunshot wounds in the head, chest and arm.

His killing has never been solved.

Deborah Marion, Wright's mother, said she has continued celebrating his birthday. Marion has made it a yearly tradition to release balloons at his final resting place and share a meal with those who loved him.

"I want people to remember," she said. "It's going to happen until I die. I can't let his name die."

Marion said she also keeps his name alive, hoping it will help solve his murder.

"Somebody will get tired of us talking about him and come forward with what happened that night," she said.

About 60 relatives and well wishers gathered at East Memphis Pizza and Subs after the grave site gathering to celebrate what would've been Wright's 37th birthday. The party featured a cake with photos from his childhood and his basketball career.

Wright's murder has not been solved, something Marion and Wright's sister, Adriane Harris, said they wish would've happened before now.

"It will still hurt, but we'll be able to move on," said Wright's sister, Adriane Harris. "As time goes on, you learn to deal with it and try to accept it. I try not to think about it because if you think about it too much it can consume you."

Harris said she misses her brother, but is trying to stay positive.

"Hopefully one day we'll get closure," Harris said. "He was a happy person and he would want us to be happy too."